Ore-car.



W. S. ATWOOD.

ORE CAR.

APPLICATION FILED PBB.7.1913,

Lm, Patented Ja,11.5,1915. V

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

W. S. ATWOOD.

ORE CAR.

APPLICATION HLED PEBJ, 1913.

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Patented Jan. 5,

W. S. ATWOOD.

ORB CAB,lv

APPLICATION FILED FBBUY, 1913.

Patented Jan. 5, 19M.

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. r ernten WILLIAM S. 'TWOOIL 02E'l MONTEJEAQQQUEBEU, CANADA, ASSIGNOR T0 GANJDIANCAE.

@c FQUNDEYCQMEANY, JMMJITEID, 0F MONTREAL, CANADA. I

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17 o all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that l, WILLIAM S. ATWooD, of the city of Montreal, in the Province of Quebecand Dominion Vof Canada, have invented certain new and usefulv Improvements in Ore-Cars, vof which the following is a full, clear, and exact description,

This invention relates to improvements in ore cars, andthe object is to provide a hopper car so constructed that the door opening, which is in the floor of the car, will be absolutely unobstructed between the trucks of the car.

A further Objectis to provide a hopper car having the under frame so' arranged that the door opening will not be obstructed by the center sill of the car.

ln hopper cars for handling ore,coke, or evencoal, it has been found that'the discharge opening when cut into a number of small door openings by the intersecting center sills and transoms or bolsters does not discharge the lading of the car as quickly or as speedily as might be desired, as the material tends to catch on the members forming the door frames and jambs, so that the discharging operation is retarded. The present invention aims to lovercome this disadvantage by providing a car so arranged that the door opening, which occupies the entire Hoor and' is a considerable part of the entire width of the floor, is absolutely unobstructed between the trucks, so that the largest lumps or the roughest class of material will escape without hindrance.

In the drawings which illustrate vthe invention, and throughout the several figures of which similar numerals refer to corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a half vertical sectional viewon the longitudinal center of a car. Fig. 2 is a half plan view showing in the upper portionthe body and in the lower portion the under frame. Fig. 3 is a half end elevation. Fig. 4 is a half transverse section on theline 4--4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a partial transverse section on the line 5-5. Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 5 5, showing the arrangement off the door.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates the center sills as a whole and 12 the body bolsters. The center sills are formed in three parts, namely, the central portions 13,which are'widely spaced apart and are attached at their extremities l Specification of Letters retent-` Application tled February 7, 1913. Serial No. 746,748.

to the body holsters. The second and third parts of the sills are rthe two end portions 14, which are spaced approximately the usual distance a art and are attached to the opposite side o the holsters from the central portions 13. It will thus be'seen by a glance at Fig. 2 that at the ends of the car the arrangement of underframe is very much of the ordinary type, vbut that the sills are spread apart at the center of the car, so as to provide for alarge unobstructed doorl opening. Side sills 15 are provided andare connected at suitable intervals with the center sills by cross beams 16. rllhese side sills also connect to the ends of the bolsters'and are connected at their adjacent extremities by end sills 17, which intersect the end portions 14- of the center sills and are attached thereto. Gusset plates 18 are provided at the junction of the side and end sills, and similar plates 19 are provided at the junction of the end portions of the center sills with the holsters. Diagonal braces 20 of suitable section are 'providedto connect the plates 18 and 19. rl`hese braces prevent any possible relative movement between the sides and center sills and greatly sti'en the car.

The body, designated as a vwhole by the numeral 21, consists of vertical side portions 22, which extend from the top of the body approximately half way downward to the side sills. rlhe lower edges of the vertical portions 22' are connected to sloping portions 23, which are inclined at an angle of approximately 45, and terminate just below and inside the middle portions of the center sills. The ends 24 of the body are sloped continuously from the upper to the lower edge.

The corners of the body are supported by vertical angles 25 which rest on the corners of the underframe. rl`he upper portions of the body sides are supported and held against bulging by the side stakes 26, which are attached at their lower ends to the side sills. The sloping portions of the sides are stifl'ened by angles 27 riveted thereto, and attached at their upper extremities to the side stakes and at their lower extremities to the upper portions of stifiening plates 28. These stiifening plates 28 are vertically disposed and are attached to the portions 13 of the center sills from top to bottom thereof, and are again attached to the cross'beams ico 16. The sloping ends of the body are supported at their lower ends by vertically disposedy plates 29 which extend between the center sills. The ends are again supported approximately at their centers by vertical plates 30, the lower edgesof which are secured to the body bolsters 12. The vertical ends of the plates 30 are connected to the first pair of side stakes, as'will be easily seen in Figs. l and 2, and thus provide a very rigid support for the body. y

It will be seen from the drawings that the door opening, designated 31, extendstransversely from center sill to center sill, and longitudinally between the plates 29, which it will be noted are disposed practically over the rear and front axles of the front and ,v neet the center sills.

backtrucks respectively. This opening is absolutely unobstructed by either longitudinal or transverse members, so that when the doors 32 are opened there will be nothing to interfere with the discharge of the lading. The doors 32 are for convenience preferably two in number, and each consists of a flat plate slightly larger than the door opening, so that the edges of the plate project under the lower edges of the sides and ends. These doors are suitably stifened by angles 33, and are hinged at one longitudinal edge upon pins 34 carried by stifening plates 35 secured to one center sill.

At the ends of the door opening, the transverse members 29 are provided which con- These members provide support for a creeping shaft 37, which extends from end to end of thel car. At the center of the car, this shaft is supported by a small bracket 38. When two doors 32 are used, the shaft 37 may be divided at the center of the car, so thatthe doors can be 0perated independently. At suitable intervals the free edges of the doors are provided with rack toothed castings 39, Iwhich mesh with pinions 39 mounted upon the shaft 37. At-

tached to each .pinion is a worm or other suitable chain guide 40. Chains 41 are provided and are connected at one extremity to the free edge of the doors -and at the opposite extremity to the guides 40. When the shaft is rotated in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 6, it winds up the chains and raises the doors 32 to horizontal position, the shaft remaining in the pockets 42 at the outer ends of the slots 43. Continued revolution draws the shaft under the edges of the doors so that the pinions 39 engage the rack members 38 on the doors and travel to a position well under the edge of the doors, whereby the doors are firmly supported. Any suitable mechanism 44 is provided at the ends of the car to rotate the shaft and to hold the same against revolution. To dump the contents of the car, the

shaft 37 is rotated in a reverse direction and by reason of the pinions meshing with the -rack members, the shaft travels out from under the edge of the doors so that the doors are released, the shaft falling into the pockets 42 and there being rotated by the unwinding of the chain due to the weight on the doors 32. The mechanism 44 at the ends of the car may be of such nature as to check the too rapid rotation of the shaft.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A car of the type described including an underframe having an extended discharge or lading opening centrally of the car, a door forming the car floor hinged to one side of said opening, and a creeping shaft arranged to the opposite side of said opening to hold said door closed.

2. A car of the type described including an underframe having center sills, spaced apart to form an extended discharge or unlading opening centrally of the car, a closure forming the car floor hinged to one of said sills, and a creeping shaft carried by the other center sill to hold said closure in closed position.

3. A car of the type described including an underframe having center sills spaced apart to form an extended discharge or unlading opening centrally of the car, a door or closure forming the car-floor hinged to one of said sills, a creeping' shaft carried by the other center sill to hold said closure in closed position, and shaft and gear mechanism flexibly connected with said creeping shaft for actuating the same.

4. In a car of the character described, an underframe comprising a pair of center sills spaced more widely apart between the car trucks than at the extremities thereof, a bodymounted on said sills having sloping sides and ends converging into the space between the center sills, a door forming the car floor hinged to one center sill, and a creeping shaft carriedby the other center sill arranged to hold said door in closed position.

5. In a car of the character described, an underframe comprising a pair of bolsters, a pair of center sills spaced more widely apart between said bolsters than beyond the bolsters, a body mounted on the under frame having sloping sides and ends converging into the unobstructed space between said center sills and bolsters, a floor door extending from side to side of the body hinged to one center sill, a creeping shaft carried by the other center sill and movable to a position under the door to support the same, stiffening members secured to the center sills, and inclined extensions from said members supporting the sloping sides of the car.

6. In a car of the character described, a pair of center sills having the central portions thereof offset toward the sides of the car, a body havingsloping sides and ends mounted on said sills, a Hoor door forming the bottom of said body hinged to one center sill and extending across the car to the other center sill, means carried by said second center sill for supporting the free edge v side sills supporting the` upper extremities of said inclined members, and vertical plates mounted on the bolsters and supporting the sloping ends of the body.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM S. ATWOOD.

Witnesses:

STUART R. IV. ALLEN,

G. M. MORELAND. 

